Via Brian Webber: Tim Bradley says the key for Anthony Joshua to beat Oleksandr Usyk next week in their rematch on August 20 is to injure him “seriously”.
Bradley says Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) made the right changes when he added coach Robert Garcia to his team, but he had to stay the same person as before for him to dethrone Unified Heavyweight Champion Usyk (19-0 , 13 KOs).
“It was an uphill battle for both of them. If I give Joshua some advice, yes, you need to be mentally strong, you have to be physically ready, but don’t lose yourself. Don’t lose who you are, don’t lose what was there for you,” Tim Bradley said Fighthype.
“Joshua is skilled and has proven that he can adapt and make changes. He was against Ruiz. He’s there with an experienced trainer that will surely help him get in shape. He will definitely give him some Xs and Os so he can find the holes and tendencies that Usyk has.
“Usyk is a left-hander, but he has a good backhand. That’s the thing about Joshua. You can prey on Joshua. You watch movies. He bit into it. If you have a moving target, you must attack the body. You hear me say it all the time.
“He can do it from the outside; he can do it from long range, and you can cut him off where he’s going. You just set a trap for this guy [Usyk].
“If Joshua wins this fight, he has to hurt Usyk very badly. I’m pretty sure he’s serious about this. He understands that this is all.
“He made the necessary changes, got a new coach. He certainly understands the task at hand,” Bradley said of Joshua. “Usyk, the first fight was not easy.
“After the battle, Usyk might have to take a week off. Like literally, rest his body because he is a light person. Physically & mentally, those types of photos must be taken. It’s not a joke.
“He understands it will be an uphill fight. That’s why you see him bulging. His feet are great; he has great legs.
“That’s where he got Joshua. The way he put him in position and that kills Joshua because that kills Joshua. He’s really heavy, going forward. His footwork isn’t that great.
“Usyk is in & out, turn up. He gives you a lot of different looks. There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors just to get you out of place, and then, boom. He hits you with that straight left hand.
“Joshua understands what he did. He needs to worry about not giving in. If things start to get tough and get busy, don’t give up. You have to stick to the plan, believe in his angle and believe in his condition.
“I chose Usyk to win the war, and I believe a late ending. The more I think about it the more I think it’s going to be a more competitive fight than I said at first.
“I was watching a movie and Joshua seemed to be concentrating. He knows he has a lot to prove. Gloves do not fight back. He looks great. They don’t fight back.
“If Joshua is stopped, I don’t think it’s the end of the road for him. He’s built his fan base and he’s a household name. The guy is making sixty million dollars for this fight.
“I just thought he was going to get back to running. You’ve made Deontay wilder, and there are other guys he can face. But I think his stock is definitely going to drop,” Bradley said of Joshua if he loses to Usyk in their rematch.
“I think it will be very difficult for Eddie Hearn to actually do anything with Joshua right after that. I know he has a fan base, but who will he fight?
“I would love to see him fight Fury. Even if he loses because of his fighting style. I want to see him and Fury will handle it if he loses. If he wins, I want to see him and Fury do it.
“Either or, those people have to run it, man. I enjoyed watching Fury-Usyk; I want to see that too. I think that would make a lot of sense. It will be good,” Bradley said.
